New Interpol Album Coming Next Year

It "falls back towards the first," says drummer Sam Fogarino

Interpol haven't released a new album since 2007's middling Our Love to Admire. Since then, the members of the band have been pretty busy with extracurricular activities: singer Paul Banks' solo project Julian Plenti, bassist Carlos D's short film, drummer Sam Fogarino's band with Swervedriver's Adam Franklin, Magnetic Morning.

Now, Fogarino tells Paste that the snappily dressed NYC brooders spent spring 2009 recording a new album, which is due for release via Capitol early next year. According to Fogarino, the new LP will recall Interpol's debut album Turn on the Bright Lights, Pitchfork's #20 album of the decade.

The band recorded the album at New York's Electric Lady studio, and they've focused on returning to the stuff that people loved about the band in the first place. Fogarino says, "The new record falls back towards the first. In trying to move forward, there was an unspoken realization that you can't let go of your sonic-defining tag. There was an effort in Daniel [Kessler]'s guitar tone; he rediscovered it playing in his loft space for a year without anybody. The quality of that tone, played in a big room, is just beautiful. It creates an atmosphere ... That big wash of reverb? It's back."

Fogarino also tells Paste that the band doesn't have any illusions about the relative wackness of Our Love to Admire: "[The album] was not our most cohesive moment â€Ś It was when reality kicked in as to where we were and where we were never going back to." Perspective!